E3 will make its L.A. Convention Center comeback in 2023 with an online component too

Alexandra Del Rosario
·2 min read
Gaming fans play "Monster Jam Steel Titans" at the 2019 Electronic Entertainment Expo in L.A.
Fans play video games at the June 2019 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the last E3 event held at the L.A. Convention Center before the pandemic hit. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, the video game showcase commonly known as E3, will return to its old Los Angeles stomping grounds in 2023.

"We're back," E3's official Twitter account announced Thursday.

The annual event will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center three years after forgoing in-person gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

E3 organizer, the Entertainment Software Assn., will partner up with events production company ReedPop for next year's conference, which will happen in person and online. ReedPop is also known for putting on New York Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration and PAX gaming-culture events.

"ReedPop brings world-class talent and a keen understanding of the video game industry, which will serve to enhance the E3 experience for the years to come," ESA president and chief executive Stanley Pierre-Louis said in a statement provided to The Times.

Kyle Marsden-Kish, ReedPop's global VP of gaming, added that E3's Los Angeles return will be "recognizably epic" and set "a new benchmark for video game expos in 2023 and beyond."

The annual video game extravaganza, which in the past has brought more than 65,000 fans and industry figures to the L.A. Convention Center, was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. E3 returned in 2021 as a four-day virtual event.

In January, E3 2022 was initially set to follow the previous year's online format because of concerns over the virus' omicron variant. However, in March, the event was canceled in its entirety, with the ESA promising a "revitalized physical and digital E3 experience" in 2023.

"The 2023 showcase will bring the community, media, and industry back together for an all-new format and interactive experience," the ESA previously said about its event in the second week of June 2023.

But with E3 out of commission for the summer, other entities in the gaming community have taken matters into their own hands to present updates on highly anticipated titles.

In June, the Game Awards founder Geoff Keighley filled the void with his annual Summer Game Fest showcase, which will also return in 2023. Similarly, PlayStation and Santa Monica Studio made headlines Thursday with a release date and trailer for the upcoming "God of War: Ragnarok."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.